ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our prayer list is here to help. Please pray for: Joan Strout, Debbie Hayden, Ginnie Toner, Edna Cushing, Bob Stewart, Constance (Connie) Cushman, Rebecca Allen, Cecil Jones, Carol Chadbourne, and MaryKate (sister of Mike Ross).

This Sunday in worship, we will celebrate the gift of elders and seniors. This special service will include historical reminiscences about Woodfords and celebrate the wisdom that older adults bring to our lives.

Because COVID levels have increased in Cumberland County over the last few weeks, the Council has decided to require masks for in-person worship in the sanctuary this Sunday. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust mask policies accordingly. In the meantime, we strongly urge everyone to mask up, for their own safety as well as for the protection of the wider community. 

During Sunday’s worship service, in lieu of a traditional sermon, we will share some pieces of good advice and counsel we have received from elders and seniors over the course of our lifetimes. At different moments in worship, Rev. Alyssa will invite people in the pews to share nuggets of wisdom that older adults have passed along to them. She invites you to do some reflecting before Sunday and to consider participating in the “sharing wisdom” moments, if you’d feel comfortable doing so.

 

Also, Rev. Alyssa is looking for three community members to kick off the “sharing wisdom” community dialogue moments by going to the lectern and sharing a fuller story of some good advice they have received. In one or two minutes, each lectern speaker will share:

·        the circumstances under which the advice was given

·        who offered it (and the person’s relationship to the speaker, if any)

·        what the advice was

·        how/why the advice ended up being helpful

If you are going to be in worship on Sunday and would like to tell a story of elder wisdom from the lectern, please let Rev. Alyssa know. Thank you!

The WSP team has made the decision to postpone the 90th Birthday Party out of concern about putting a large number of unmasked people, especially our vulnerable seniors, in a space together with COVID numbers so high in our area.

Once it feels safe for all we hope to reschedule, perhaps in June.

We're sorry to announce that Coffee Hour is cancelled this Sunday. We look forward to after-worship fellowship in the future. We will notify everyone when the next Coffee Hour will take place.

Join the WCC group marching in the Pride Parade on June 18^th. Details will follow in the weekly Announcements when it gets closer to the date.

Support We Need Diverse Books (diversebooks.org) and their WNDB IN THE CLASSROOM program providing free diverse books to low-income schools around the country.

Join Equality ME (EQME@ info@equalitymaine.org) focusing on education and outreach to support the LGBTQ community.

Read Jennifer Boylan Finney’s memoirs, She’s Not There, I’m Looking Through You

and Stuck in the Middle with You. There is NO way I can explain these books in a sentence; check any one of them out and I suspect you will in time read the others.

The Championing Justice Team is looking for an individual (or two) who could coordinate our WCC group to march in the Portland Pride Parade on Saturday, June 18. This person would possibly do a couple of recruitment announcements at church and be the point person for those who sign up to walk. Walkers would need to know time and places to meet and coordination would be needed to recruit folks to carry our WCC banner etc. Interested or have questions: Barbara Thomson @ thomsonbg@aol.com

Because COVID levels have increased in Cumberland County over the last few weeks, the Council has decided to require masks for in-person worship in the sanctuary for the time being. We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust mask policies accordingly. In the meantime, we strongly urge everyone to mask up, for their own safety as well as for the protection of the wider community.

When making decisions about masking, we encourage individuals to consider federal, state, and local health authorities’ guidance and to follow the advice of their own medical practitioners. If you are not fully vaccinated and boostered, have health concerns, and/or are not feeling well, we encourage you to participate remotely in Woodfords events and take good care of yourself. Together, we can help safeguard the health of all and help keep COVID trends moving in the right direction!

For Cameron Trimble’s full meditation, CLICK HERE for her blog post.

·        What has your experience been of Alyssa’s ministry during the past two years?

·        How has Alyssa supported the church and its mission?

·        How do you see Alyssa partnering with Woodfords as we continue to create community, champion justice, and grow with God?

There will be sign up sheets in the Cloister after worship. Additionally, if you would like to sign up via email, please email the Church Office at info@woodfordschurch.org.

May 26 Podcast Discussion – A Conversation with Diana Butler Bass, Author of Freeing Jesus

Woodfords’ podcast discussions are casual and guided by the participants. Bring your questions, and feel free to eat lunch as we talk. Members of Woodfords community, as well as the wider community, are welcome to participate. Feel free to invite a friend. We hope that people will have a chance to listen to the podcast before the session and bring questions/comments/responses to contribute to the conversation – but everyone is welcome to attend and participate, even if they don’t have a chance to listen to the podcast ahead of time.

·        Originally aired on the Christian Century’s “Madang” Podcast in March 2021

·        More information about the content may be found below

Listen by clicking either of these links:

·        https://www.christiancentury.org/blog-post/madang/episode-1-historian-diana-butler-bass-author-freeing-jesus

·        https://youtu.be/qk1T4yChKg0

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87340564029            

A note from Grace Ji-Sun Kim, podcast host: Welcome to Madang, the outdoor living room of the world. Here, we invite you to sit and tune into unreserved, remarkable conversations with renowned authors, leaders, public figures, and scholars on religion, culture, and everything in between.

Here in the first episode of Madang, I converse with historian and popular author Diana Butler Bass about her new book, Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence. We discuss how she came to write the book, her upbringing, Quakerism, Jesus as presence, and memoir theology. It is a great discussion on who Jesus is. This is a wonderful book which will not only challenge readers but will transform them.

On Sunday, June 12, Woodfords Church will not have sanctuary worship. Instead, we will hold Tri-Church worship at Pilgrim Lodge, the summer camp of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Pilgrim Lodge Worship will begin at 11am in order to give people time to get to the camp, which is located in West Gardiner, Maine on beautiful Lake Cobbosseecontee. Pilgrim Lodge is about an hour away from Portland, and it offers a wonderful location to celebrate nature and all that is holy.

The chapel at Pilgrim Lodge is accessible for those with mobility challenges. If you plan to attend and anticipate needing some mobility assistance, just let Rev. Alyssa know, so that we can ensure that assistance will be available.

If you would prefer to not to participate in Pilgrim Lodge worship, the Rev. Reba Delzell will host an alternative worship option at Williston-Immanuel United Church at 10am. Information about participating in that worship service will be available on the Williston-Immanuel website.

·        Click here to learn more about Pilgrim Lodge.

·        Click here to see driving directions.

·        Click here to see Pilgrim Lodge’s camp sessions. There’s something for individuals of all ages. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in camp, but costs are prohibitive, Woodfords has scholarship funds available.

We are happy to announce that the Tuesday Chair Yoga instruction will continue through the summer months. We meet on Tuesday mornings from 10 to 11. Would you like the chance to practice a low impact yoga class every week with a wonderful teacher, Birdie Fertig? Thanks to the Woodfords Senior Program, it is a free activity open to all those 65 and older. Please consider joining us.

Click on the Zoom link below to participate...

Due to schedule conflicts, the remaining youth game night, scheduled for May 26, has been cancelled. However, we are excited to share with you many events we have scheduled for the rest of spring and summer,

Moving forward, the youth group initiative between HopeGateWay, Williston-Immanuel United Church, Woodfords Congregational Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, & State Street Church will be called Youth Together. This name comes from the primary goal of this group: to bring the youth of these faith communities together. We thrive, both as individuals and as a society, through close friendships within our local community, and our hope is that this group creates a space where forming and strengthening those friendships is possible.

Currently, all events remain open to all youth 6-12 grade. In time, the group may host middle- and high school-specific events, but for now all grades will remain together for all events. 

We will be hosting Sunday afternoon picnics throughout the summer at Deering Oaks Park. Parents and Youth are welcome to join us. 12:30-3PM on May 22, June 26, July 17, and August 14 to eat, talk, hangout, and play a game a two. Meet us near the playground, where we will have blankets and tables set up. Please bring a blanket, lunch for you, and possibly snacks to share! Weather permitting of course! In the event of potential inclement weather, we will move the gathering indoors to one of the churches TBD based on space availability (which we will share via email and possibly via text).

Every Thursday, 2-5PM, starting June 16 and going to August 25, Daniel will be on the grass of the Eastern Promenade, near the intersection of the Eastern Promenade road and Quebec St. Come by anytime to hang out, play some games in the field, have good conversation, and enjoy the amazing view. Can only come by for 30 minutes at the beginning? Come on by! Can’t come by till 4PM? No worries! Come by whenever it works for you and we will be there! Open for parents to drop off youth or stay and hang out. Weather permitting of course! In the event of potential inclement weather, we will move the gathering indoors to one of the churches TBD based on space availability (which we will share via email and possibly via text).

As Daniel continues to grow Youth Together, we want to create a space for parents to get to know Daniel, Daniel to get to know the Parents, and for parents across the churches to get to know each other as well. Daniel will lead a zoom 7-8PM one Wednesday a month. Spring/Summer youth parent zooms are scheduled for: June 15, July 20, August 17. Daniel will send out zoom meeting invites the week before the gathering.

We are looking for adult volunteers interested in attending/helping out during youth events throughout the summer and beyond! Please let your Pastor and Daniel (daniel@hopegateway.com) know if you are interested in volunteering! (Note that background checks will be required for anyone interested in volunteering.)

Along with email, we will begin sending text message alerts for future youth events. This will be used primarily be used for youth event reminders and last-minute event changes (change to indoor venue due to weathers for instance). Text alerts will be infrequent and as needed (we will not spam text you!) Please email Daniel at daniel@hopegateway.com and provide your cell phone # if you would like to receive Youth Together text message alerts. Thank you!

Our year-long 150^th year celebration kicked off at Easter with banners on the lawn and over the entry way and the initial distribution of tote bags bearing the anniversary logo. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the ANNIVERSARY WEBPAGE, please take a moment to do so and view the digital timeline. This timeline was designed to reach our wider church community and to inform them of some of our earlier history and some mission endeavors with which Woodfords has been involved.

However, the timeline just scratches the surface of all the wonderful memories each of you hold in your hearts. The 150^th committee would like to hear from you by filling out a brief survey (link below) where you can share your favorite memories and your hopes for Woodfords future. “Memories are special moments that tell our story.”

Would you be willing to talk about the volunteer work that you are doing, during Sunday Worship? If so, we would love to hear from you! Please contact the church office at info@woodfordschurch.org and we will work to schedule a convenient Sunday for you to share your experiences and information.

Please join us for the 25th Annual Celebration of the Summer Solstice! Year after year we’ve circled up, rejoicing in the gloriousness of summer, taking pause in the beauty of the outside world. Prayers, songs (we’ll spread out as needed!), readings and a walking meditation are all part of the morning’s gathering. We’ll be across from the pond/ near the first small parking lot on the right. Symbols of summer for the altar are welcome. FMI contact Ellen Smith-Erb at eese@maine.rr.com.

As we begin a year long celebration of Woodfords' 150th anniversary, there will be several activities to look forward to. One activity is the making of a commemorative quilt. This quilt is going to need your help and skills. Each square has been designated with a specific event in our history. Starting April 24th, squares will be available at the Sunday 10 worship service for people to choose and work on. (If you can't make it to the Sunday service, but want to participate in the quilt making, contact the church office: info@woodfordschurch.org.) There also are some materials available for use. The squares are to be returned to Jean Koster no later than August 1st, 2022. Please see Jean Koster for more information.

If you would like to learn more about joining Woodfords and becoming an official member of our church community, Rev. Alyssa would love to hear from you (alodewick@woodfordschurch.org). Through low-key, no-pressure conversation, she can tell you more about what “membership” means and answer any questions you might have. New to religion? Just getting to know Christianity? Never been a member of a church before? Have no worries! You may be a cradle-born member of the UCC, or you may be discerning how you feel about organized religion. Either way, we value you and understand that our community would be at a loss without you. No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, Woodfords welcomes you!

If you would like to receive in-person Communion and reside in a location where you can receive visitors, please send Alyssa an email (alodewick@woodfordschurch.org), and we will work to schedule a time for you to receive the sacrament in upcoming weeks.